Crippling Spiders
by Shinga
Summary: A nine-year-old Ganondorf grows in power and realizes his own ability to kill and harm.


"Crippling Spiders"  
  
By: Shinga  
  
Disclaimer: Most everything belongs to Nintendo, except for Karashu and the plot  
  
A/N: The strangest things will inspire me, I swear. I killed a spider one day and this entire story flashed before my eyes. ;) BTW, I'll fix up the HTML as soon as I can. I'm in a hurry right now *lol* ;) Not to mention the spell check. o.o  
  
****  
  
Ganondorf sat in his corner, facing the wall without expression. His eyes were as blank as they ever were, his form straight and rigid. He did not move, nor did he ever if he didn't want to. And he rarely wanted to. The room was bare, but it was his favorite. No windows allowed the desert sun in, and it was a dark room save for the four torches lighting each wall. The stone was an amber color, and shadows danced with the flickering firelight. The corner was lit sufficiently, enough for him to watch the three spiders build their webs.  
  
"He sits there every day," whispered a rough, irritated voice. It was the voice of his Gerudo bodyguard, Karashu. She spoke to another guard, who regarded the young king coolly. Ganondorf heard them, but did not grant them the privilage of a response. They were an annoyance to him, but he muted their voices as he watched the web.  
  
"He will grow stronger in his years," said the other guard. "He is young now. Nine years, is it? He will become different when he is older."  
  
"Then maybe he'll actually be king, and not the spoiled prince he is now," added Karashu with a snort. "He sits there like he's dead, watching spiders on the wall."  
  
"Yes," the other guard whispered, growing rather pale. "He is weak in his act, but his eyes burn with fury unleashed. One of my women tried to kill the spiders one day, and his eyes blazed with such a power that she hurried from the room, terrified. I think you underestimate him, Karashu." She looked away and tapped the blunt of her spear on the floor a few times out of nervous habit. "I will leave you now. I must get to the other warriors."  
  
She left without another spoken thought, and Ganondorf did not bother to watch her leave the room. He cared little for the Gerudo Captain, as he cared little for anything else. Even his best friend, Nabooru, he cared little for. She was for amusement, and for what most children called 'fun'. He found fun very boring, and would usually retire to this very room to his only comfort... the spiders.  
  
Black and glistening with their skin-armor, the spiders moved slenderly up and down the corner, crafting their grand webs of silver thread. Ganondorf found them inspiring and strong, yet so small and seemingly a nuisance to daily life. They, like him, ignored the world around them and lived only for themselves, sitting and eating and fashioning their webs.  
  
Karashu stared hard at the red back of Ganondorf's head with malice. Her eyes glared furiously and her hand gripped the dagger on her belt, knuckles white. How she longed to simply thrust the dagger into the back of his head and end this useless 'king'. He ruled with an iron fist, yet he cared little for power. She cared. Oh yes, she cared for power. She craved it like a dying man craves life. She had once been the ruler until he was born. Now she bowed to this spoiled brat and was named a bodyguard.  
  
She could take no more of it. She took a step forward, and pushed away stealth. She wanted him dead, and the way it was done did not matter anymore.  
  
Ganondorf turned his head slightly toward her, his face announcing he was quite bored. He regarded her without so much of an alarmed or frightened expression. Karashu was angered... he must know she was planning to kill him! Her eyes sparked and she drew the dagger from her belt, advancing on him while a sweat broke on her forehead. She growled low in her throat, and still the young king did nothing to stop her.  
  
Wrath overruling sense, she seized the king by his throat and wrenched him up to his feet. She thrust her face to his, raising the dagger and pressing it to his neck. Still he did nothing and hung limply as her grip tightened. His eyes were void and cool. This lack of emotion boiled her blood.  
  
"You ungrateful, spoiled pest!" she snarled. "I'll kill you, you know. Your blood will stain the floors of this room forever and remind everyone of the power I have! You... you are nothing without me! I used to hold this desert with fear and rage, then you took over. I'll murder you, you insufferable brat... then I will rule!"  
  
She waited for a reaction. A gasp, a look of fear, crying and begging for life. Instead, the young king did not speak a word. He regarded her as coolly as before, though a small light of annoyance flickered in his eyes.  
  
Screaming in fury, she threw him down. He fell onto his back, but quickly stood and looked up at her with a frown. She glared, then turned and stormed out of the room. "Spoiled braindead male..." she hissed as she disappeared around the corner.  
  
****  
  
Ganondorf was met later that day in the same room by his small friend Nabooru. She was his age, but looked quite younger, as the males aged much faster then the females. She was a spirited child, with strength to match her smile. She spoke softly, but quite often, usually talking much more then the king himself. But he very rarely spoke.  
  
"I have never been in here," said Nabooru, sweeping the room quickly with her eyes, soon walking to him without closer investigation. The warriors were taught early on to never linger, for in a battle it could be dangerous. At her young age, she already showed signs of skill. There were whispers in the camp of Nabooru ruling the Gerudo warriors when she grew to a woman.  
  
"You have not been invited," said Ganondorf, not bothering to look at her. Instead, he kept his eyes on his spiders, who worked diligently.  
  
Nabooru followed his gaze and smiled. "They are beautiful," she said.  
  
Ganondorf did not smile back. Instead, he reached and very carefully picked one of the spiders from her web. She wriggled in annoyance at the interuption, but he gently placed her in his palm and let her stand still.  
  
The little Gerudo girl smiled warmly at this display of gentile and affection.  
  
A moment passed before the peace was shattered. Ganondorf suddenly pinched one of the spider's legs and plucked it from the body.  
  
"No!" exclaimed Nabooru, astonished. "No, Gan, don't!"  
  
The young king tilted his head curiously as one by one, he pulled the writhing spider's legs from her body. Nabooru stared in horror, her eyes wide and tear filled, her hand covering her mouth. Ganondorf calmly put the spider back on the wall by the corner. It did not move to build again, only twitched slightly. He regarded it coolly.  
  
"She does not build now," he said accusingly.  
  
"No," replied Nabooru, her voice wavering with broken emotion. "She cannot! She is crippled now, can't you see?"  
  
"Can she kill?"  
  
Nabooru stared at him, puzzled and surprised by the question. It was a second of silence before she responded carefully, "Y-yes. I think so... she uses her fangs, and she can still kill if something comes to her."  
  
Ganondorf again took the spider gently into his hand. After a moment, he calmly seized his fist, and Nabooru heard the soft crunch of the spider's armor. It was instantly killed, and a long pause of silence fell afterwards.  
  
"She cannot kill now," said Ganondorf curiously.  
  
"No," said Nabooru, regarding him strangely. "She cannot."  
  
****  
  
It was nearly a week before it happened. Ganondorf agreed silently to be led outside to get a breath of air. Karashu accompanied him, her eye often straying and she ignored him for the most part. He was glad of her silence, and sat in the shade. He would often stroke the sand and study it for unknown reasons, running it through his fingers and holding it up for the wind to carry off.  
  
"Karashu!" said a booming voice, as a Gerudo guard stepped over to the bodyguard. "The captain is absent today. As second in command, I come with news. A Hylian man has trespassed on our land."  
  
"I will deal with him soon," said Karashu, glaring angrily at Ganondorf.  
  
To her mild surprise, the king looked up at them. He had been listening, and stood up abruptly. He stared hard at the guard, who regarded him dubiously.  
  
"No," he said coldly, the most emotion he had ever shown. Now Karashu stared in astonishment.  
  
"W-what, sire?" asked the guard nervously. She clutched her spear and stared at him.  
  
"No. I shall 'deal with' the prisoner."  
  
The women exchanged looks of shock and apprension. Karashu sneered and turned back to the boy. "Sire," she said sardonically. "I don't think you should--"  
  
"I am king."  
  
****  
  
Rather reluctantly, the two guards took Ganondorf to the prison. He walked briskly and did not look at either of them. He was determined, and ignored them completely. Karashu glared down at him, her hand on her dagger. But she did not dare harm him in the prescence of the other guard. Killing the king might be considered a crime, as males were rare and regarded with reverence.  
  
The man was a Hylian indeed. He sat in the corner of his cell, holding his knees as close to his chin as he could, his rather large stomach preventing contact. He sobbed gently, his face wet and his eyes bloodshot. When the Gerudos entered, he looked up at them and, seeing Ganondorf, was stunned.  
  
"M-male?" he asked in amazement.  
  
The guard opened the door and dragged him out before the small king. "Bow before our ruler, King of the Gerudos. Bow, male!" She shoved him to his knees with the blunt of her spear. The man wept bitterly as he fell and lowered his head in terrified respect.  
  
"Why are you here?" asked Ganondorf, mildly interested in the man. He had seen very few of them in his life, only catching glimpses of the prisoners.  
  
"Please, sire!" said the man, without raising his head. His voice was muffled to the floor. "I am but a poor carpenter, I swear it. There is no work for me in all of Hyrule. I came to offer my service, sire! Please... I shall be your most humble servant, I swear in my honor."  
  
"You work?"  
  
"Yes, my lord."  
  
Ganondorf watched curiously for a moment, then abruptly turned and beckoned for the guards to follow. Even Karashu looked puzzled now.  
  
He turned to them, once out of the man's earshot. The Hylian looked over at them fearfully. "Cut of his arms and legs," said the king coolly.  
  
Karashu's jaw dropped instantly and the second guard was astonished. Both were rendered speechless as they stared at him. A strange fire blazed in his eyes and he  
  
****  
  
It was only an hour later that King Ganondorf gazed from from the spot at the top of the stairs, watching with interest. He listened to the man screaming in agony, the noise making his eardrums shudder and the walls echo throughout the fortress. The Hylian was tied down as Gerudo women, looking rather ill but determined, took the man's working saws and began to cut his other arm.  
  
Karashu regarded the king, her expression and her thoughts caught between shock and calculating. She wondered what had brought on this interest in pain from him. Before, she had found him annoyingly calm and peaceful. Now she was wary.  
  
It was only a small amount of time before the limbs were severed. The screams subsided and instead the man sobbed and cringed with numb pain. The guards seized the back of his shirt and dragged him back to his cell, the floor marking his way with a trail of his blood.  
  
"He does not build now," said Ganondorf calmly.  
  
Karashu snorted, jolted right back to her annoyance of the boy. "Of course not, foolish child. He is crippled."  
  
****  
  
Back in the silent room, Ganondorf ignores his two remaining spiders for once and sat, staring into nothing. Nabooru sat near him, watching him quietly with a tinge of nervous calm. "I heard about the man prisoner," she whispered, wringing her hands around her waist where usually a weapon was kept, though she was unarmed.  
  
Ganondorf nodded once. "He does not build now."  
  
Nabooru looked at him in horror. "Why, Gan?" she asked hoarsely. "He will die now in his cell. He will have lost too much blood. The warriors tell me of that... he will waste away! Why--"  
  
"Can he kill?" interupted Ganondorf, staring at her with a strange flare in his eyes.  
  
Nabooru shivered and looked strangely at him. "No, he cannot. He is dead now already, I suppose. Or soon."  
  
"Does he have any fangs?"  
  
"No, Gan. Not like the spider... he has no weapon on him. He is weak, you know... and helpess. He can't kill now."  
  
Ganondorf looked puzzled. "Who can, then?"  
  
"Everyone can kill," said Nabooru, scooting away from him a bit and staring nervously. "The Gerudo fighters kill all the time. They must."  
  
"Can I kill?" asked the king.  
  
There was a pause as Nabooru looked away thoughtfully. She replied, "Yes... you killed that spider. You killed the man... yes, Gan. You can kill."  
  
"And... if they are dead... the cannot kill anymore. They cannot kill me."  
  
"K-kill you? No, of course not. They cannot kill anyone if they are dead."  
  
Ganondorf regarded her for a moment. "Thank you Nabooru," he said calmly. "I will never kill you."  
  
Nabooru looked frightened. "Th-thank you..." she whispered, not quite certain if they were the right words to say.  
  
****  
  
Karashu stormed out of the fortress in fury. Ganondorf was missing and if he turned up dead, she would be blamed for it. Not that she would have minded much if he died. In fact, it would have been for the better of the Gerudos. "Damn brat," she snarled. "If I could, I'd spear his little maleness to the floor and keep him in check."  
  
She glanced around the courtyard in annoyance.  
  
"You are looking for me, Karashu?" called a calm voice.  
  
Karashu whirled around and looked up to the top of a short building. There stood the young Ganondorf on the roof. She was at first angry, but astonishment replaced it when she spotted the smile on his face. Ganondorf did not smile... ever.  
  
"What do you think you're doing up there?" she demanded harshly.  
  
"I was waiting for you."  
  
"Well, here I am," snarled Karashu, pulling out her dagger. "Come down now."  
  
"I do not wish to... not yet," said Ganondorf, his unbecoming smiled broadening. Karashu felt a chill crawl up her spine and held back a shiver.  
  
"Now!" snapped Karashu, mostly angry at herself for becoming fearful of such a pitiful child king."Or I swear on my life I'll--"  
  
"Kill me?" asked Ganondorf, his eyebrows raising questioningly. There was a stunned silence from Karashu. "Will you kill me, spider, with your fangs?"  
  
"Without doubt," hissed Karashu. "Highness," she added scathingly.  
  
"No," said Ganondorf calmly, shaking his head. "I will not let you." He looked straight at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. She took a cautious step back and gripped her dagger as he raised his hands, palms facing her. To her astonishment, his small fingers began to spark and glow a deathly yellow. She was shocked... she didn't know the little worm could use magic!  
  
She prepared herself for a blast of light, tensing and staring up apprehensively. Slowly she noticed his hands weren't the only things glowing. Something caught her eye to her side. She turned full around to see a large boulder a ways off glowing the same sickly yellow. Realizing what he was to do, she gasped and started. But she was not quick enough to reach the door before the boulder lifted easily from the ground that held it, and flew toward her.  
  
A scream died on her lips as the boulder smashed her back and kept flying until it slammed into a wall, crushing her between. Blood stained the stone and the wall, announcing she had died instantly. The boulder dropped to the ground and her body slumped over, thinned and broken. Ganondorf drew his hands back down, the yellow dying away. He gazed down at her, and his smile grew once more.  
  
It was not long before three guards rushed to the scene of her death, having heard her last scream. They stood in shock and horror. One spotted Ganondorf on the roof and caught her breath. "Your highness!" she said in astonishment.  
  
He did not respond. There was no need. He smiled calmly and turned, walking away from them.  
  
****  
  
"You killed Karashu?" whispered Nabooru, gazing up into the night sky. She was turned away from him so he could not see the silent tears on her face. She fought to keep her entire frame from shaking in horror.  
  
"She cannot kill me now," said Ganondorf. He too looked at the stars longingly.  
  
"Was she... going to?"  
  
There was a silence. Then, "Yes."  
  
"She was nothing to you," said Nabooru, quickly wiping her tears before she turned to look at him sternly. "Was she? Only a spider."  
  
"No one is," said Ganondorf with a shrug. He ignored her piercing eyes and kept his own on the sky. "I can kill now."  
  
"Why?" breathed Nabooru.  
  
"It gives me power. I did not know this power before I killed... I want more."  
  
"Who will you kill to get it?"  
  
"Anyone in my way," said the king. His tone was not threatening or angry, but rather matter-of-fact and casual.  
  
"Then?" prodded Nabooru, wringing her hands and looking away.  
  
"The world will be mine," said Ganondorf, a ghost of a smile appearing on his olive face. "I suppose. I can be king of Hyrule if I wish it so... or perhaps the entire world."  
  
"I don't think that would be very good, Gan," chanced Nabooru quietly.  
  
"Will you try to stop me?" snapped Ganondorf, his eyes tearing quickly away from the sky and boring into her. The gold color flashed dangerously, a side of him Nabooru had not seen. However, she did not let her fear overcome her. She stared steadily back, her face set.  
  
"If I must," she whispered after a silence.  
  
It happened unexpectedly. He roared much like a demonic beast, lunging at her as his eyes glowed a deathly yellow. He seized her throat with both of his hands before she had time to react. Now the terror reached her heart and she stared at him in fear.  
  
"No!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes. "No, Gan... please! You said you would never kill me... please, Ganondorf!"  
  
Instantly he pulled away and turned from her, looking back at the sky as if none of it had happened. She whimpered pathetically and rubbed her now sore throat. For a moment he did not say anything to her, and she felt her heart shudder.  
  
"No," he said finally, firmly. "I will not kill you, Nabooru. But if you try to stop me, ever... I will cripple you. I will tear your arms from your shoulders and your legs from your hips. You may kill me then, but you will never build. You will be weak and helpless. Do not ever stop me."  
  
He stood abruptly and walked away, leaving the weeping Gerudo girl.  
  
****  
  
Years passed. Ganondorf gained power as he grew, soon becoming a close 'friend' to the King of Hyrule. He knew his time was coming... he searched for more power, wanting more as he gained it. Nabooru grew as well, determined to train and become strong enough to stop him. She became the leader after he vanished to Hyrule castle and left the Gerudo. She knew he was evil, but kept her word to herself. The rest of the Gerudo bowed to him, but she did not.  
  
He tried to gain the power of the legendary Triforce. But a child from the woods and the princess of Hyrule grew in their power as well, defeating his minions and fighting his power. Still he strived for more.  
  
It was not to last. Nabooru found her strength in the destiny she had as the Spirit Sage. She joined with Zelda to fight Ganondorf. She lent them her power, but never told her personal history with Ganondorf. She kept everything to herself.  
  
The sages and Link sealed Ganondorf into the darkness. The space between dimensions is where he would stay. Time returned to normal and Nabooru gave the Gerudo land to her second-in-command, Loorashu. Nabooru filled her role as the Spirit Sage.  
  
Soon she wondered what Ganondorf was doing in his realm.  
  
****  
  
He was blind. The darkness held him and smothered him and reminded him daily that he was powerless. He felt life drain from him, but he would never die. As long as time existed, so would he. More then dead, less then alive. Stuck in a wretched world... this is where his power got him. Exile.  
  
Light came to him that day. His eyes burned and he turned from it. He heard her voice in it, and felt rage in his non-existant heart. "Spirit Sage," he snarled.  
  
"Call me by my name, Gan. Or have you forgotten childhood days, my old friend?"  
  
"I have not... regretably. Leave me to my darkness, Nabooru."  
  
"I helped to stop you," said Nabooru calmly. "And yet you did not cripple me. Did you remember your oath to do just that? You told me that you would."  
  
Ganondorf snorted. "You are not the foolish girl you were back then," he snapped angrily. "You and your petty friends... you turned and crippled me."  
  
"You cannot build," said the sage softly.  
  
"No. But perhaps I can still use my fangs," hissed the Gerudo king, baring his teeth and growling treateningly.  
  
"Not here," reminded Nabooru. "You are helpess here, Gan. More then crippled, yet less then dead. Has this been realized to you? You cannot kill me."  
  
There was a deafening silence. The silence Ganondorf had heard for years now, so many countless years. But what did time mean anymore? Or power?  
  
"No," he finally said, so softly that Nabooru cringed to hear it. It reminded her of the nine-year-old, gentle, sweet Ganondorf. "I cannot kill now."  
  
****  
  
A/N: Well, that be it! The end! =) R/R ;D Weird fic... weird weird weird o.O 


End file.
